The United States and ‘Israel’ have carried out a new round of attacks on Iran, this time directly targeting the country’s critical nuclear infrastructure. Iran confirmed that the Natanz Nuclear Facility, one of the country’s most important uranium enrichment sites, was struck on Saturday morning.
“Following the criminal attacks by the United States and the usurping Zionist regime against our country, the Natanz enrichment complex was targeted this morning,” the agency said in a statement carried by Iranian media.
Located roughly 220 kilometers southeast of Tehran, Natanz is a cornerstone of Iran’s nuclear program, housing advanced centrifuges and playing a central role in uranium enrichment. The targeting of such a facility marks a significant escalation.
Iranian officials said no radioactive leakage was detected following the strike and that there was no immediate danger to nearby population centers. However, international observers have long warned that attacks on nuclear facilities risk triggering catastrophic environmental and humanitarian disasters.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed it had been informed of the strike, with its head Rafael Grossi renewing calls for “military restraint” to avoid the risk of a nuclear accident.
The IAEA has been informed by Iran that the Natanz nuclear site was attacked today. No increase in off-site radiation levels reported. IAEA is looking into the report.
IAEA Director General @rafaelmgrossi reiterates call for military restraint to avoid any risk of a nuclear… pic.twitter.com/jDCWYbOwao— IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency ⚛️ (@iaeaorg) March 21, 2026
The attack is not the first time Natanz has been targeted. The facility was also struck during the earlier phase of the war in 2025, when multiple structures were damaged. Saturday’s strike, however, comes amid a broader and more intense campaign by the US and ‘Israel’, which have openly declared that dismantling Iran’s nuclear capabilities is a central objective of their war.
Analysts warn that targeting nuclear infrastructure represents a major turning point, effectively expanding the scope of the conflict beyond conventional military targets into strategic civilian and scientific facilities.
The strike also comes as Iran has begun demonstrating an expanded military reach. In a significant development, Iranian forces reportedly launched long-range ballistic missiles toward the Diego Garcia base, a key US-UK military installation in the Indian Ocean. While no damage was reported, the attack marked the first known use of such long-range capabilities in the current war.
The base, used to host strategic bombers, was reportedly made available to US forces for “limited defensive operations” with approval from the government of Keir Starmer in the United Kingdom.
